1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring sorted pieces provided with addresses into a row of pieces in accordance with a predetermined sequence of possible addresses, starting from at least two partial rows in which the sorted pieces are sorted in accordance with the predetermined sequence. The present invention also relates to a method of transferring sorted pieces into an ordered row as well as to the use of the apparatus for sorting shipment or mail pieces provided with addresses in the form of mailing addresses.
2. Description of the Related Art
For delivering shipment or mail pieces, the pieces are usually sorted in each post office responsible for a postal district in accordance with the delivery areas of the postal district in which the pieces are then delivered by a mail carrier who is responsible for the delivery area. For accelerating the delivery, the mail carrier usually sorts the mail pieces to be delivered in the delivery area by using the mailing addresses initially in accordance with the route to be followed by the mail carrier. For this purpose, the individual mail pieces are sorted in accordance with the sequence of the mailing addresses along this route.
This work step to be carried out before the actual delivery of the mail pieces is very time-consuming and, thus, expensive. For this reason, several postal authorities have started to grant special tariffs to some large customers, such as shippers of newspapers, magazines, catalogues or the like, if the customers mail the mail pieces already presorted in accordance with the route to be covered by the respective mail carrier, in order to facilitate and accelerate the above-described work step to be carried out before the actual delivery by the mail carrier.
However, it has been found that the sorting of the pieces to be carried out by the mail carrier does not result in a significant acceleration if two or more already presorted stacks of mail pieces must be taken into consideration during the sorting procedure.